


you’re the poet in my heart

by aspalas



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:13:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24709678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aspalas/pseuds/aspalas
Summary: Writing wasn’t his strong suite, but he’d do it for Jeff.
Relationships: Jeff Andonuts/Tony
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	you’re the poet in my heart

_Dear Jeff, everything’s going great here. I’ve been working on that snowball launcher I showed you a few weeks ago. But sometimes the snow melts in the cannon’s nozzle. A coolant would probably keep the temperature down, right? …_

Tony chewed the end of his pencil. He had been trying to write a letter to Jeff every day before going to sleep since he had left, but now that 5 days, 12 hours, 40 minutes, and 126 seconds had passed since Jeff made his escape the days began to blend together in a stale, snow covered haze. He wasn’t the best at writing so he tried to talk about things Jeff might find interesting. Writing about missing him came easy, but he kept cringing at what he wrote and crumpling the paper up. So he began anew and tried to change up the subjects and talk about the daily goings on of Snow Wood. But Tony was getting tired of that, too. Couldn’t a simple letter that said _I miss you, come back soon_ be sufficient? (His slowly diminishing hoard of postage stamps and pocket money said no—Eagleland postage was more expensive than he anticipated.)

_The dorm is very quiet without you, even though you’re always quiet. Are your friends nice?_

Tony wondered what Jeff’s friends were like. He was well liked here for his brilliance (and in part, Tony suspected, for his lineage) but rarely talked to the other boys. One time Jeff had called him from a hotel and heard voices of a boy and girl behind him, chattering on about something-or-other, while Jeff tried to speak up into the receiver. They couldn’t talk long but Tony beside himself with happiness and replayed their brief conversation over and over again in his head before he fell asleep. _Hi, Tony. Bye, Tony. I’ll call you again._ He hadn’t yet but Tony prayed every night he would.

_When you come back can I see all the cool stuff you’ve made? Maybe you can fix my snowball launcher. Why don’t we have some stew when you return? They serve it every night for dinner._

Tony began eating with his friends in the mess hall but it wasn’t the same. Sometimes they asked him if he had talked to Jeff and Tony always said, “I will soon.”

_I included a pack of gum in this letter in case you miss the stuff they sell at the convenience store._

Tony stared at the sentence. Something felt like it was missing. He bent down over the paper and added _I miss you. Come back soon so we can go to the store together._

_Yours truly, Tony._

He signed his name with a flourish. He scanned the letter from the beginning, checking for spelling errors or weird sentences. Writing wasn’t his strong suite, but he’d do it for Jeff. Tony decided the night he left he’d write to him for months or years if that’s how long it took. Tony scribbled the date on it, folded it up, reached for the addressed envelope and pack of gum on his desk, put the letter in and sealed it, then turned the light off and went to bed. He’d wake up early and send it off.

* * *

Ness, Paula, and Jeff ambled into the Fourside Hotel. Night had long past settled on the horizon and it was nearing close to ten-thirty. All three of them were sweaty, tired, and depleted of health and energy. Paula was clutching a wet towel to her forehead while Ness just finished healing a nasty scratch on Jeff’s cheek with the last of his PSI points. The Dusty Desert was tougher than they had anticipated and all three were eager to rest up for the night.

“Room for three,” Ness said to the clerk.

The clerk checked the key stand behind the desk. “I have one room that can fit three. That will be $180.”

Ness pulled out his wallet and began counting the bills. Jeff and Paula waited patiently behind him, though heatstroke had clearly taken a toll on Paula’s constitution and Jeff was eyeing her worriedly.

“Names?” The clerk asked as he accepted Ness’ money.

“Ness, Paula, and Jeff.”

The clerk froze midway in putting the cash in his register. “Jeff? As in Mr. Jeff Andonuts?”

Ness looked at Jeff with an unspoken question poised on his lips. Jeff’s head jerked up at the sudden address. “Y-yeah, that’s me,” Jeff piped up.

The clerk closed the register, leaned under the desk and motioned for Jeff to come closer. “A letter for you, Mr. Andonuts. It arrived this morning.” In his hand was an envelope with Jeff’s name on it.

Jeff’s eyes lit up behind his glasses. He’d recognize the handwriting anywhere.

“Thank you,” he said, accepting the letter and sticking it in his blazer’s pocket.

“Here is the room key as well, Mr. Andonuts,” the clerk said, placing the key on the desk. “Room 108, first floor. Please feel free to enter your room at any time.”

Jeff stuffed it in his pocket and turned to Ness. He and Ness led Paula to the designated hotel room, laying her down on the king sized bed where she visibly relaxed. Jeff sat down on the other side of the bed while Ness put his backpack on the table. Ness looked at Jeff like he wanted to say something, but instead announced, “I’m gonna take a bath first if that’s okay.”

“Sure,” Jeff said. “I’ll keep an eye on Paula in the meantime.”

Ness took off his cap and disappeared into the adjacent bathroom. Jeff reveled in the silence of the room, blankly watching Paula sleep next to him, the rise and fall of her breathing hypnotic. A rush of fondness surged through him… how before he knew it, Paula and Ness had become more than companions, but friends that looked out for each other.

Oh, speaking of friends—the letter.

Pulling out of his pocket, he stared at the front. His name was written slightly crookedly in the center, and Tony’s name and the return address of the Snow Wood Boarding School scrawled in the left hand corner. The envelope was adorned with a cluster of familiar grey square stamps made him feel nostalgic for Foggyland. He tore open the top of the envelope carefully and found a piece of paper and a squished packet of gum on the bottom.

 _Dear Jeff,_ the letter began. Jeff felt his face heat up, but his heart felt tender and warm. Of course he had to answer Paula’s call, but... Tony’s sincere feelings laid bare Jeff’s heart ache for those hectic school days in Winters. _Yours truly, Tony._

Jeff held the letter to his chest. He didn’t have any telekinetic powers but Tony’s words had certainly reached his heart. Maybe he should…

“Jeff?” Paula was mumbling.

“Oh, Paula. Are you okay?” Jeff asked hurriedly, stashing the letter in his pocket.

“I’m fine,” she said, though she was still horizontal on the bed and sounded groggy. She cracked open her eye to look at him. “You don’t need to stay in here anymore, I’m okay. I have some money in my backpack you can use for the telephone. I know hotels charge for international calls.”

Jeff seemed uncertain. “It’s no problem, I have some money.” He already spent his money on equipment, though. Conversion rates in Eagleland were unexpectedly high.

Paula cracked a smile. “Don’t worry. I can just ask Ness for more if I need anything. Take as much as you need.” She closed her eyes again.

Jeff didn’t feel right taking Paula’s money, but he was also amazed how quickly her PSI skills had picked up on his brainwaves. As he produced Paula’s wallet from her bag, he made a mental note to observe her and Ness as they continued their adventure. He was always interested in machines but telekinesis and espers were unknown territory.

It was quite late at night by now and when he slipped into the hotel corridor it was bustling with out-of-towners; obvious Foggylanders speaking in different accents and people dolled up for a night out in town. He made his way to the lobby.

Surprisingly, the lobby was empty save for the clerk from before, who was reading the Fourside Post. Jeff walked to the desk, shyness threatening to send him back to the hotel room.

“Excuse me,” he managed, speaking in his best grown-up voice.

The clerk’s eyes wandered from the paper to him. “Mr. Andonuts?”

“May I use the telephone?”

“Certainly. If you are calling an international number, I’ll charge you at the end of the call.” He nodded to the black phone on the desk and picked his newspaper back up, engrossed once more.

Jeff picked up the black phone off the cradle and punched in familiar numbers, not forgetting the proper regional codes. _Riiing. Riiiiing._ The ringing buzzed in his ear as he clutched it to his ear. Jeff wondered if he would pick up. His hands began to sweat and he didn’t know why.

On the fifth ring there was a click. “Hello?” Tony’s sleepy voice reverberated in his ears.

“Hi, Tony,” Jeff said softly, shyly, all nervousness forgotten.

“Jeff?” Tony yelped, the sleepiness evaporating from his voice as he recognized the caller. “It’s morning here! Hello, friend!”

Jeff smiled into the phone. “It’s night here.”

“Where are you?!”

“I’m at Fourside. I got your letter.”

The words began tumbling out from there, slowly and softly from Jeff’s mouth, rapid and energetic from Tony. They spoke for an hour before Tony said he had to go to class and promised he’d send another letter. Jeff told him he’d look forward to it.

“Jeff?” Tony said suddenly, a hint of sadness creeping in. “Take care of yourself and your friends. I’ll always be here for you.”

“I will,” Jeff promised. “You can trust them to take care of me. I’ll help them and we’ll all come visit when it’s all over. I’ll call again soon.”

Jeff heard a sniffle. “Okay. Talk to you soon. G’nite.”

“Have a good day, Tony.”

 _Click._ The phone went dead, but the warmness in Jeff’s chest didn’t abate in the slightest—even when he had to use up all of Paula’s money to pay the international phone fee.


End file.
